Mikhail Piotrovsky's interview with the Echo of Moscow radio station on the programme “Time Not Gone By”

Maya Peshkova: Again we have a virtual meeting with the General Director of the State Hermitage. Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Mikhail Piotrovsky, President of the Union of Museums of Russia. The Union of Museums was organized in 2001, bringing together the country’s museums. That is correct, isn’t it – 2001?

Mikhail Piotrovsky: Yes. indeed. This year we are marking our 20th birthday. We are such a young creative union. Generally, we are not very much like the others. We do not own any property, rest homes or other things of that kind. We only have people.
In November 200,1 a large group of museum people gathered outside Saint Petersburg and we established the Union of Museums of Russia that today has 438 members and 90 associate members – those that work with us but do not fit our definition of museums.
It’s very important that we unite all types of museums. Formally museums are divided up into state, federal, regional, municipal and so on. We have all types of museums with regard to organizational structure. In the same way, we also have institutional museums – that is a very important issue: the preservation of museum exhibits in government institutions and universities. Recently we held special negotiations with the Rector of Saint Petersburg University, Nikolai Kropachev. Saint Petersburg University itself has joined the Union and is forming a group of institutional museums.
In general, we have associations within the Union. Associations of museums of different kinds: museums of the history of towns and cities, literary museums. Additionally, associations are beginning to appear based on the type of work,, such as associations of those who clean museums. They want to become an associate member as well. That is also a special issue today, when questions to do with the pandemic and sanitation are so relevant – that’s very important too. We have three tasks. If you like, I can tell the listeners about them.

Maya Peshkova: Yes, of course. What are the tasks and aims of your Union?

The recording of the full interview is available for listening on the Echo of Moscow website:
https://echo.msk.ru/sounds/2823568.html